Category Archives: The Scoop

by Brie Loskota The great American political experiment has passed many milestones along the path toward a more inclusive society. Kennedy broke barriers for Catholics, Geraldine Ferraro for women, Lieberman for Jews and Obama for African-Americans. But there are a … Continue reading →

by Chris Tokuhama “There are some genuinely bad people who would like to infiltrate our country,” Newt Gingrich asserted during the first Republican Presidential Debate in New Hampshire, “and we have got to have the guts to stand up and … Continue reading →

Su'ad Abdul Khabeer “He's Back!” quipped the headline of a news report on yesterday's congregational hearings, sponsored by New York Rep. Peter King (R-NY), on the alleged threat of terrorist recruitment in U.S. prisons. Whether that opener is read ominously … Continue reading →

by Sandi Dolbee Newsweek's cover story this month about the mainstreaming of Mormonism is another reminder of how religion coverage has become the Detroit of journalism — largely abandoned as a specialty beat and left to generalists, who, like absentee … Continue reading →

by Courtney Bender “Let's put aside the question of whether the people behind the bill to ban circumcision in San Francisco are anti-Semites,” Rebecca Newberger Goldstein suggests in a Washington Post blog. Instead she asks readers to consider the “big … Continue reading →

Many news outlets marked the 30th anniversary of the discovery of AIDS—or more accurately the first reports of five otherwise healthy homosexuals in Los Angeles who had contracted a rare cancer—with stories on the medical and scientific aspects of the … Continue reading →

by Judith Weisenfeld Numerous recent events have illuminated issues around sexuality in African American communities, including NBA star Kobe Bryant's shouting an anti-gay slur at an official during a game and the firestorm over a Psychology Today article declaring black … Continue reading →

by Richard Flory The past tumultuous few years for the Crystal Cathedral have included the retirement (and un-retirement, then subsequent re-retirement) of the Schuller pater familias; the son's inheriting the family business only to be replaced by his sister (his … Continue reading →

by Lee Gilmore As the pop-cultural consciousness turns slowly away from recent apocalyptic murmurings, the time is right to consider other live-wire stories that have not received adequate attention. In particular, questions about whether yoga and Islam “count” as authentic … Continue reading →

by Kevin Healey Dominique Strauss-Kahn's religious identity has made news since 1991, when the Jewish Tribune reported that each morning he asks himself how he can be “helpful to the state of Israel.” He should have refuted the quote, he … Continue reading →